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Written by Mathias | Monday, June 21st, 2010
After playing poker for 115 hours, Phil Laak now holds the Guinness World Record for longest poker session ever. Laak took the record from Larry Olmstead, who held the record from 2004 at 72 hours, 2 minutes. Last year, British poker player, Paul Zimbler, played for 78 hours, 2 minutes, and 41 seconds, but that wasn’t an official Guinness World Record.
Laak began his task on June 2nd at the Bellagio, where he played a low-limit table with $10/$20 blinds. Now 37, Laak says he trained for the feat by dieting for six months, eliminating sweets, fried foods, and cheese, which helped him to lose 25 pounds.
Laak commented, “Around the 67th hour, I remember feeling like, ‘Oh my God, maybe I should step down.’ I thought my body would just collapse. Every time I get there, it takes like a super-human effort, but I stand up and stretch. Once I start moving, I fend off [exhaustion] pretty well.”
During the stint, he ate grilled chicken, broccoli, and sweet potatoes, and he admits to using caffeine when needed, but by the 80th hour, he took a vow to only drink water and a dextro-cyclodized amino and protein complex. Guinness World Record rules governed that he was allowed one five-minute break per hour, which he banked to take a 30-minute nap.
Laak, who is also known as the “Unabomber” for the hoodie and sunglasses he sports at the poker felt, which resemble Ted Kaczynski, began playing poker only about 11 years ago, but he’s made quite a name for himself throughout his career thus far.
After the 115 hours was over, Laak ended up with around $6,700. He donated half to Camp Sunshine, a summer camp charity for sick kids.
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